Fireproof

Saturday night John and I went to a Clutch show at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale.  My parents babysat for us, and when we returned home from the show, Maddie was sleeping (oh joy of joys)!  Not wanting to let an opportunity to actually watch a movie pass us by, we popped in Fireproof, our most recent Netflix movie (well, not including The Little Mermaid, but we’ve already watched that about 18 times since getting it last week, and we wanted something a little different).

John was a little nervous about Fireproof for the following reasons:

1. It’s a christian movie
2. It has Kirk Cameron in it
3. It pretty much had the promise of being a sappy love story.

And yes, while all three points are completely true, and it did turn out it was a sappy love story, I really liked Fireproof, and I daresay John did too- even though he probably won’t admit it.

There aren’t many movies out there that take a real, hard look at marriage; not just some Hollywood mushy gushy “soul mate” storyline or another story in which the main character, wronged by their current love interest, finds their REAL true love.  There isn’t much out there.  After all, don’t most movies tell us that once we fall in love and get married, it’s a walk in the park?  How many movies show that same marriage 2, 3, or 10 years down the road?  None.

Fireproof is about a marriage in crisis- but the “typical” crisis, of taking each other for granted and putting personal needs/desires before marital needs.  I think we all become guilty of this- as time goes on and a marital routine is established, it is way too easy to take your spouse for granted.  In the movie, we see a husband and wife that have fallen away from each other. We see the husband take a 40 day journey (of course, I saw the deeper meaning of the journey being 40 days- and now being Lent, it seemed completely heaven sent to me) called a “love dare”- trying to bring unconditional love back to his marriage.

Watching the movie flicked a switch in me- I saw myself in Kirk’s character- too concerned with self, quick to react with negative words and actions.  Acting in this way doesn’t only affect one’s spouse though- it hurts ourselves! 

Since watching the movie, I haven’t been officially following the love dare, but have been trying to be more loving to John, and I’m sure he’s already starting to see a difference.  John is such a patient, loving person- and he only deserves that have that in me, too.

Go ahead, put Fireproof in your netflix queue and check it out- even if you aren’t into that lovey Christian stuff, I guarantee you’ll come away with something!

 

Fasting

To some, fasting is an integral part of Lent.  At the very least, we are to refrain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent.  Personally, refraining from meat is just no big deal.  I like fish.  I like pasta.  I like pizza.  Abstaining from meat is a mild irritation- having to keep the “no meat” idea in the back of one’s mind so as not to slip up, and have bacon with breakfast for example.

The Pope says, “freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person.” 

In that vain, I’m attempting to “fast” on Fridays during Lent by not only abstaining from meat, but by trying to abstain from heavy, extravagant meals… because for me, simply abstaining from meat isn’t that big of a deal.  Boy is this tough!  I’m a food lover- I LOVE to eat (if I didn’t, there wouldn’t be so many Weight Watchers posts, right?).  However, I believe that abstaining from extravagant meals during the Lenten season will make the Feast on Easter Sunday all the more special.

 

Get Ashed

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season.  For Catholic Christians, Lent is the most holy time of year.  Beginning with Ash Wednesday we begin our 40 day journey through Lent towards Easter.  It is a 40-day preparation for the celebration of Easter, in that we fast, we give alms, and we pray- to get right with ourselves, but mostly, to get right with God.

Catholic Christians take this time to look at ourselves and do a sort of self analysis- how are we doing as people?  What do we need to work on?  Where are we falling short in Jesus’ most simple command to love others (simple to say and remember, although not so simple to practice).  By fasting, we hope to come closer to Jesus’ suffering on the cross, and to make penance for the sins we committed throughout the year. 

This Ash Wednesday is particularly important to me, and to my family.  Firstly, it marks the one-year anniversary of my return to the Catholic Faith.  It was on Ash Wednesday last year that I mysteriously decided to become Catholic again.  I know it sounds dorky, but I was just compelled to attend, and we attended as a family- John, Maddie, and I.  My return to the Catholic faith has brought John into the fold as well.  This Easter Vigil he will be baptized into the faith.  We attend RCIA meetings weekly, together, and I daresay this time has not only helped grow our individual faith, but our relationship with each other. 

This holy time is a wonderful time to reconnect with God and to examine the role he plays in your life (no matter what religion you may be).  At one time I was nervous to go back to church, and wondered how I would be accepted- but now that I am back, I feel much more happy and complete than I thought I would have; so much so, that I urge those “on the fence” to give faith and their religion another try.

 

Feast of the Epiphany

Today we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany by taking down all of the Christmas decorations.  Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been slightly saddened when the Christmas Season came to an end.  At the end of Christmas the house has always felt a little too empty without the tree; the mantle (or whatever you hang stockings on) too bare without stockings.  I almost felt as if something inside of me became a little deflated as well; as if the dismantling of the decorations also dismantled my spirit.  Of course, at that point, I wasn’t religious; but, there is something about the hope and possibility of Christmas that has made the “season” feel special.  Now I realize that the hope and possibility is the joyful anticipation of Christ’s birth.  Just because the decorations are packing away until next year, doesn’t mean we can’t keep that joy with us all year.

At this afternoon’s mass, the Pastor talked about the 3 Magi (Epiphany is the day the 3 Magi visited Jesus for the first time and presented him with their gifts).  He talked about how the 3 Magi must have had something missing in their lives to take a long journey away from their homeland.  They must have thought that there was something more to their lives and therefore took the journey to follow the star in the sky that led to the baby Jesus.

The story of the 3 Magi became very personal to me this year, because both John and I are taking a similar journey to God. We also both feel that there must be something “more” to the “daily grind” and have been attending Monday evening RCIA classes in order to become closer to God.  Although Christmas is over, John and I still have Easter Vigil to look forward to: when I will be confirmed and he will be baptized (and make communion and be confirmed as well).  

I find the Catholic faith has become so much more personal and meaningful in my encounters with it as an adult, versus whatever exposure I had to it as a small child.  Having this experience makes me realize how important it is for both John and I to live the faith and talk about it openly with Madeline; hopefully in doing so, she will have a much better understanding of it- more so than learning it from Sunday school (I know they try but I certainly didn’t have the best Sunday school teachers).  A big reason why John and I are taking this journey is because and for Madeline, to make sure she is exposed to her faith and is able to develop a relationship with God.

Of course, I make no claims that this will indeed happen perfectly and to plan.  I know many cradle Catholics that have fallen away from their faith (more often they leave the faith than remain).  I wonder if this is because a true relationship with God is only something that can be developed as an adult. It’s something to think about.

Anyway- we were supposed to have company tonight (Dad, Step Mom and Fam) but my Dad is sick.. and we certainly don’t need to expose Maddie to anymore germs.  In honor of today’s feast I’m still going to prepare something special and try my hand at making popovers.  I’ll let you know how I do!